xCaliber,
Buying a home for the first time can be difficult and frustarting. Appraisal fees, closing fees, realtor fees, plat drawings, title insurance, bank escro fees....i could keep going on.
Yes, shop around for the best interest rates but also shop for best closing costs too. Most if not all banks charge a 1 persent loan origination fee. That's 1 percent of the loan. The Lender requires Title Insurance and you have the option to buy an Owners Policy. The Title Insurance is charged by the Title Company.
Also, you have the choice of which Title Company you want to close with. I would call several Title Companies to find out what their fees are. Tell them you are shopping around. Title Companies are always fighting for the biz.
This is a buisness of wolves and sharks. Be careful and don't always beleive what you hear.
Shoot me a PM and I'll give you my number and we can talk about it.
YellowSnow a/k/a TITLEGUY